This invention relates to a separator suitable for separating oil containing gas and water into gas and two liquid streams one being an oil rich stream the other a water rich stream and also to a process of effecting such a separation.
When oil is produced from a well, it is forced from the reservoir by natural pressure up the well to the surface. As the oil rises the pressure becomes less and gas associated with the oil is progressively released from solution.
After emerging from the well, it is necessary to treat the mixture of liquid oil and gas to remove the free gas and dissolved gas which is likely to come out of solution when the oil is maintained at about atmospheric pressure as, for example, during transport in a tanker.
Our UK patent application No. 2000054A, which corresponds to now abandoned U.S. Ser. No. 917,719, describes a cyclone separator capable of separating such a mixture the cyclone having a cone located therein and our co-pending UK patent application No. 2035150A, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,047 describes a cyclone separator which has been improved by the provision of baffles below the cone. Further, our co-pending European Patent Application No. 80301144.4 which has been published as European 0 018 168 and corresponds to pending U.S. application Ser. No. 318,160, describes a cyclone separator which has been further improved by the cone being in the form of one of small apex angle or as a cylinder.
Water, the amount of which can vary greatly, is usually also produced with the oil and it is desirable to also remove the water since the latter is often saline and may well cause corrosion of steel production facilities. However, with the separators disclosed in the three above mentioned patents water, if present in the feed, is separated within the liquid oil.